Cleaning device

ABSTRACT

A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line, the device comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line, a cleaning medium supply chamber adjustably mounted on the adaptor pipe and connected into the pipe so that some of the supply fluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from the chamber into the pipe, a valve positioned to control fluid flow, a further valve positioned to control flow of the cleaning medium and filters located in the adaptor pipe to ensure mixing of the cleaning medium and supply fluid within the adaptor pipe and prevent any backflow of the cleaning medium.

United States Patent Edlin [451 Aug. 15, 1972 [54} CLEANING DEVICE [22]Filed: Feb. 9, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 9,780

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 4, 1969 New Zealand 157,010

[52] US. Cl. ..l37/205.5, 239/366, 239/367 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 11/00[58] Field of Search ...l37/205.5, 268, 604; 251/145; 15/322, 321, 320;239/318, 366, 367, 376

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,514,107 7/1950, Trostler..15/322 UX 2,675,147 4/1954 Odom ..239/367 X 2,51 1,420 6/1950 Thompson..l5/322 UX 1,882,271 10/1932 Berggren ..239/366 3,236,459 2/ 1966McRitchie ..239/376 X 3,195,558 7/1965 Klueber ..137/268 2,176,13910/1939 Lofgren ..251/l45 Primary Examiner-Alan Cohan Attorney-Young &Thompson 57 ABSTRACT A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurizedfluid supply line, the device comprising an adaptor pipe forincorporation into' the fluid supply line, a cleaning medium supplychamber adjustably mounted on the adaptor pipe and connected into thepipe so that some of the supply fluid will feed into the chamber toforce cleaning medium from the chamber into the pipe, a valve positionedto control fluid flow, a further valve positioned to control flow of thecleaning medium and filters located in the adaptor pipe to ensure mixingof the cleaning medium and supply fluid within the adaptor pipe andprevent any backflow of the cleaning medium.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 15, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG4 INVENTOR W/L 1. MM (/OEA Pia/4M4 0 Em. uv

BY JZW WA/ ATTORNEYS CLEANING DEVICE This invention relates to cleaningdevices especially one adapted to be used in conjunction with a vacuumcleaner or any other air pressure supplying apparatus.

It is known to provide cleaning or shampooing devices which when runover carpet, or fabrics on furniture, produce a foam which with theaction of brushes or the like in the device shampoo and clean theoperating surface. These devices are specially manufactured for thispurpose and cannot in general be used for any other purposes.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a cleaning devicewhich can be easily fitted to an apparatus such as a vacuum cleaner thusconverting the said apparatus into a shampooing and cleaning device butsuch a device which can be readily removed to allow the apparatus to beused to perform its usual purpose.

Broadly the invention consists of a cleaning device for fitting into apressurized fluid supply line, the device comprising an adaptor pipe forincorporation into the fluid supply line, a cleaning medium supplychamber adjustably mounted on the adaptor pipe and connected into thepipe so that some of the supply fluid will feed into the chamber toforce cleaning medium from the chamber into the pipe, a valve positionedto control fluid flow, a further valve positioned to control flow of thecleaning medium and filters located in the adaptor pipe to ensure mixingof the cleaning medium and supply fluid within the adaptor pipe andprevent any backflow of the cleaning medium.

ln further describing the invention as a preferred embodiment referencewill be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

F 16. 1 is an elevational view of the device,

F IG. 2 is a plan view,

F l0. 3 is a side view,

FlG. 4 is a sectional view of the adaptor pipe taken on the line A-A inFIG. 3.

H6. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the adaptor pipe taken on theline B-B in FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of part of the supply chamber taken online CC in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of part of the other side of the supplychamber taken on line D-D in FIG. 1.

The. supply chamber 10 consists of a container molded from a plastics orlike light-weight material and is substantially semi-circular incross-sectional shape so as to curve around the adaptor pipe 11 and thusbe unobtrusive as well as compact. At one end of the said container 10are two legs 12 and 13 which are vertically upstanding from the end (orbase) of the container l0 and are positioned a distance apart so thatthey are able to be engaged over projections 14 formed radially oppositeeach other on the adaptor pipe. Provided in each leg 12 or 13 arecircular openings 15 and 16 through which a spindle 17 passes, the saidspindle 17 passing through the adaptor pipe 11 to effectively hold thesupply chamber 10 in place and the said adaptor pipe 11 as well asproviding a hinge for the said chamber 10 to pivot around. Formed inconjunction with the opening 15 in leg 12 is a key way 18 and extendingupwardly from the keyway inside the leg 12 and into the supply chamber10 is a passageway 19. At the point of entry into the supply chamber 10an upstanding lug 20 is formed, the lug 20 being of an externallytapered nature whereby a flexible or rigid transparent pipe 21 isfitted, said pipe 21 itself extending to near the top of the supplychamber 10.

The second leg 13 of the supply chamber also has a passageway 22extending through it from inside the chamber 10 and this joins with anopening 23 formed in the outer face of the said leg 13 just above thespindle opening 16. At the point of entry into the supply chamber 10 ofthe passageway 23 is a filter 24, the filter consisting of a small gauzedisc 25 held in an extension of the base 26 of the said supply chamber.

As already mentioned the supply chamber 10 is held on the adaptor pipe11 by a spindle 17 extending through the said pipe 11 and legs 12 and 13of the supply chamber 10. The spindle 17 consists of a rod of metal orlike material having an end of enlarged diameter 27 while the other hasa screw thread 28 formed thereon. The end with the enlarged diameter hasa V- shaped groove 29 formed peripherally around said enlargement 27 andis screw threaded internally from its outer surface whereby a smallscrew 30 can enter said end and clamp onto the enlarged diameter 27 aregulator valve 31, a neck 32 being formed on the outer end of theenlargement 27 so that said valve 31 and enlarged diameter 27 arecorrectly located when assembled. Adjacent the enlarged area on the bodyof the spindle 17 is a section of knurling 33, the area of knurlingcorresponding to the width of the leg 13 so that when positioned in suchleg the spindle 17 will not move around in the opening 16 when thesupply chamber 10 is pivoted about the adaptor pipe 11. A smallpassageway 34 is formed internally in the spindle l7 and extends fromthe V-shaped groove 29 along the length of the spindle and terminates ata point 35 midway in the adaptor pipe 11 when the spindle 17 isassembled in the said pipe. When the spindle 17 is in place the openingof the passageway 35 in the said spindle points towards the end of theadaptor pipe 11 on which the applicance nozzle or discharge pipe islocated.

The regulator valve 31 consists of a body which the enlarged end 27 ofthe spindle 17 is located and as previously'mentioned is attached to thespindle 17 by the screw 30, two washers 36 with a sealing ring 37interposed being provided to prevent any leakage from the V-shapedgroove 29 around the enlarged area 27 and out the recess in the outerface of the valve 31 in which the screw is situated. The face of thevalve 31 which abuts against the leg 13 of the supply chamber 10 is ofgreater diameter than the body of the valve and is flat so that a sealis effected between the leg 13 and said inner face. A portion of thebottom section of the leg 13 is removed so leaving a channel 38 and apin 39 mounted on the inner face of the valve 31 is engaged therein solimiting the angle of rotation of the said valve to substantially byvirtue of the pin hitting either face of the channel 38. A groove 40 isformed in the inner face of the valve and is so positioned that when thevalve 31 is in place over the leg 13 the said groove 40 coincides withthe opening 23 of the passageway 22 in the leg. This groove 40 is of atapering depth and has a segmented angle with respect to the center ofthe body of the valve of substantially 90 so that when the pin 39 on thevalve abuts against one face of the channel 38 the deepest end of thegroove 40 is over the passageway opening 23 and when the pin abutsagainst the other face the shallowest end of the groove 40 is positionedover the opening 23. The groove 40 at the deepest end is extendedinwardly toward the center of the face so that a channel is formed whichcoincides with the V-shaped groove 29 in the enlarged area 27 of thespindle 17.

Near the inlet end 4| of the adaptor pipe 11 is a sleeve valve provided,this being a slidable sleeve 42 mounted on the outer periphery of thepipe 11 and having a cut-out portion running for its length in which aguide rail 43 is located. An elongated hole 44 is formed in the adaptorpipe 11 and the slidable sleeve 42 slides over this hole to cover oruncover it corresponding to whether the valve is to be closed or opened.

Inside the adaptor pipe 11 and just beyond the elongated opening 44 ofthe valve is a constriction which has a central opening 45 appreciablysmaller in diameter than that of the inlet portion of the said adaptorpipe. A passageway 46 is cut in this constriction and passes through theconstriction to the opening in which the spindle 17 lies and continuesparallel to the spindle 17 to coincide with the keyway 18 cut in theopening 15 in the leg 12.

On the inlet side of the constriction is placed a gauze disc 47 whichacts as a filter to material passing through the opening and passagewayin the said constriction.

in assembling the device the legs 12 and 13 of the supply chamber areplaced over the projections on the sides of the adaptor pipe 11. Thespindle 17 is pushed through the openings and 16 in the legs and throughthe adaptor pipe 11 until the enlarged end 27 of the spindle engagesagainst the leg 13 of the supply chamber 10. The regulator valve 31 isthen affixed to the spindle 17 and the other end of the spindle has anut 48 threaded on to hold the spindle in place. Under this nut is awasher 49 which effectively seals off the keyway 18 in the leg 12 andprevents leakage when the device is in use. An O-ring 52 is also placedunder the washer 49 to assist in sealing.

In use the adaptor pipe 11 is attached to the fluid supply line 50 of amachine such as a vacuum cleaner and is clamped thereto by aconventional clamp 51 at the rear of the inlet end 41 of the saidadaptor pipe. When the air supply is started the air flows through thecentral opening45 in the constriction as well as the passageway. The airpassing through the passageway 46 proceeds to the keyway 18 in the leg12 and then along the passageway 19 in the said leg and into the supplychamber 10 through the pipe 21. This air pressurizes the chamber andforces the shampoo liquid contained in the chamber out through the gauzecovered opening 24 in the base of the said chamber. The concentratedshampoo then proceeds down the leg 13 of the chamber, through thisregulator valve 31, along the spindle 17 and finally issues out theopening 35 in the center of the spindle and into the air stream flowingthrough the opening 45 in the constriction. The shampoo on issuing isagitated by the air stream and this causes the shampoo to foam, the foamthen passes through a gauze cone 53 in the adaptor pipe, to preventforeign matter from being forced out with the foam, and finally throughthe nozzle or discharge pipe located on the end 54 of the adaptor pipe.Both the pressure and volume of shampoo issuing from the nozzle ordischarge pipe can be regulated. The pressure is regulated by theslidable sleeve 42 on the adaptor pipe, the greatest pressure being whenthe sleeve covers the elongated opening 44 and least when the opening isun covered. To regulate the volume of shampoo the regulator valve 31 onthe spindle is employed. When the deepest end of the groove 40 in theinner face of the valve coincides with the passageway opening 23 in thesupply chamber leg 13 the greatest volume of concentrated shampoo flowsthrough the spindle. For less volume the regulator valve is rotateduntil the shallow end of the groove 40 coincides with the passagewayopening 23 at this point the pin 39 on the regulator valve 31 abutsagainst the face of the channel 38. The device can be used on any angle,i.e. floors, walls, backs of furniture by simply moving the supplychamber about the spindle, thus preventing the shampoo from flowing backdown the chamber and away from the outlet in the base. The device can bepositioned anywhere on a vacuum cleaner pipe, i.e. near the hose end orthe nozzle end and still function efficiently. The device as a whole islight weight and does not present any problems of bulkiness and ifpositioned near the hose end of the cleaner pipes does not inhibit inany way the nozzle from getting in to awkward corners such as whencleaning a carpet or article of furniture.

What is claimed is:

l. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to dieadaptor pipe about an axis transverse'to the axis of the adaptor pipe,and means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from thechamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindle passingthrough said adaptor pipe, said chamber having two legs that receivesaid spindle and straddle said adaptor pipe.

2. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to theadaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe,means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force clean ing medium from thechamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a pair of legs onsaid chamber that straddle said adaptor pipe, means for conveying supplyfluid from said adaptor pipe through one of said legs into said chamber,and means for conveying cleaning medium from said chamber through theother of said legs into said adaptor pipe.

3. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to theadaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe,means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from thechamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindle passingthrough said adaptor pipe, and conduit means formed in and extendinglengthwise of said spindle for conveying said cleaning medium from saidchamber to the interior of said adaptor pipe.

4. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to theadaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe,and means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from thechamber into the pipe, said chamber having a recessed configuration toreceive said adaptor pipe in a concave portion thereof when swung intoclose proximity with said adaptor pipe.

5. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, said chamber having asubstantially semicircular configuration in cross section.

6. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to theadaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe,means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from thechamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindle thatpasses through said adaptor pipe, and valve means for controlling theflow of cleaning medium from said chamber into said adaptor pipe, saidvalve means comprising a body that fits onto an enlarged end of saidspindle.

1. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line,comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line,a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on theadaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to theadaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe,and means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supplyfluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from thechamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindle passingthrough said adaptor pipe, said chamber having two legs that receivesaid spindle and straddle said adaptor pipe.
 2. A cleaning device forfitting into a pressurized fluid supply line, comprising an adaptor pipefor incorporation into the fluid supply line, a cleaning medium supplychamber, means mounting the chamber on the adaptor pipe for bodilyswinging movement of the chamber relative to the adaptor pipe about anaxis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe, means connecting thechamber to the pipe so that some of said supply fluid will feed into thechamber to force cleaning medium from the chamber into the pipe, saidmounting means comprising a pair of legs on said chamber that straddlesaid adaptor pipe, means for conveying supply fluid from said adaptorpipe through one of said legs into said chamber, and means for conveyingcleaning medium from said chamber through the other of said legs intosaid adaptor pipe.
 3. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurizedfluid supply line, comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into thefluid supply line, a cleaning medium supply chamber, means mounting thechamber on the adaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamberrelative to the adaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of theadaptor pipe, means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some ofsaid supply fluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning mediumfrom the chamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindlepassing through said adaptor pipe, and conduit means formed in andextending lengthwise of said spindle for conveying said cleaning mediumfrom said chamber to the interior of said adaptor pipe.
 4. A cleaningdevice for fitting into a pressurized fluid supply line, comprising anadaptor pipe for incorporation into the fluid supply line, a cleaningmedium supply chamber, means mounting the chamber on the adaptor pipefor bodily swinging movement of the chamber relative to the adaptor pipeabout an axis transverse to the axis of the adaptor pipe, and meansconnecting the chamber to the pipe so that some of said supply fluidwill feed into the chamber to force cleaning medium from the chamberinto the pipe, said chamber having a recessed configuration to receivesaid adaptor pipe in a concave portion thereof when swung into closeproximity with said adaptor pipe.
 5. A cleaning device as claimed inclaim 4, said chamber having a substantially semicircular configurationin cross section.
 6. A cleaning device for fitting into a pressurizedfluid supply line, comprising an adaptor pipe for incorporation into thefluid supply line, a cleaning medium supply chamBer, means mounting thechamber on the adaptor pipe for bodily swinging movement of the chamberrelative to the adaptor pipe about an axis transverse to the axis of theadaptor pipe, means connecting the chamber to the pipe so that some ofsaid supply fluid will feed into the chamber to force cleaning mediumfrom the chamber into the pipe, said mounting means comprising a spindlethat passes through said adaptor pipe, and valve means for controllingthe flow of cleaning medium from said chamber into said adaptor pipe,said valve means comprising a body that fits onto an enlarged end ofsaid spindle.